MOD seeks industry solutions for future carbon targets

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is looking to industry, including small and medium-sized enterprises, to help reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) estate.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

A biomass boiler at Royal Marines Poole. DIO will ask its new Regional Prime contractors to propose new measures to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Under the Next Generation Estate Contracts (NGEC) programme, DIO will ask each of its four new Regional Prime contractors from 2013 to open an energy management bureau to monitor consumption building-by-building across all MOD sites, and propose new measures to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

DIO is keen to encourage SMEs to participate with innovative ideas by engaging with potential prime contractors. Lists of potential bidders are being made available via the online NGEC Potential Bidders Directory (see ‘Related Pages’).

Incoming prime contractors will be asked initially to survey all sites and buildings in their geographical area to identify any shortcomings in the current metering arrangements. They will then conduct annual surveys to identify any changes that might impact on energy usage.

DIO will require contractors to identify opportunities and develop business cases for spend-to-save opportunities. These are likely to include: overhauling existing energy distribution networks; new heating and ventilation systems and insulation; running energy education and awareness programmes for staff; and disposal plans for energy-inefficient buildings.

Contractors will also be required to provide routine reports on progress, identify where future maintenance work is required to act on wasteful energy usage, and to evaluate the impact of its own energy savings projects.

The MOD has done well against its energy targets, exceeding its original targets by 50 per cent, but the Prime Minister has set out a strong pledge that this will be the greenest Government ever, so this is not the time to rest on our laurels.

Matt Foley, head of the MOD Central Programme Office for Energy, said:

The Defence estate is highly complex and rationalising its energy consumption and carbon emissions will require innovative, insightful and robust energy management plans. Our future facilities management providers will have a key role to play in helping the MOD to reduce consumption and its current daily energy bill of around £1 million.

The plans take forward the voluntary cross-Government Energy Efficiency Code launched by Francis Maude and Greg Barker in July 2010, which includes working to harness the experience and innovation of the private sector to find practical solutions to saving energy. DIO is working with its current facilities management providers to retrofit energy management services into existing contracts.

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